Salway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The generations and branches of the Salway family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Salway comes from the personal name Saelwig which is an Old English word meaning prosperity war. The personal name Saelwig was an ancient font name that was brought to England by the Normans. After the Norman Conquest, the Old English naming system gradually dissolved. Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The earliest surnames in England were found shortly after the Norman Conquest and are of Norman French rather than native English origins.

Early Origins of the Salway family

The surname Salway was first found in Staffordshire where "about the reign of Henry III, William Salwey was Lord of Leacroft, a hamlet in the parish of Cannock in Staffordshire; hence the family removed to Stanford in Worcestershire; of which John Salwey was owner in the third of Henry IV." 1

Early History of the Salway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Salway research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1216, 1575, 1615, 1640, 1652, 1655, 1675, 1685 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Salway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Salway Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Salway include Salwey, Sewyn, Selwyn, Selwin, Sallowaye and others.

Early Notables of the Salway family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Arthur Salwey of Stanford Court at Stanford-on-Teme, Worcestershire; and his son, Humphrey Salwey (1575-1652), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Worcestershire (1640), buried in Westminster Abbey; Richard Salwey (1615-1685?) an...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Salway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Salway migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Salway or a variant listed above:

Salway Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Anthony Salway, who landed in Maryland in 1657 2
William Salway, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 2

Salway migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Salway Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Charles Salway, aged 36, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "James Jardine"

Contemporary Notables of the name Salway (post 1700) +

Edward Elijah "Ted" Salway (1891-1950), English professional footballer who played for Southampton (1911-1915)
Richard William Benet Salway, English senior lecturer in ancient history at University College London
Peter Salway FSA (b. 1932), British historian, who specialises in Roman Britain
Joseph Salway, British artist and surveyor

The Salway Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fiat voluntas dei
Motto Translation: The will of God be done.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)